Cleveland Browns v Denver Broncos / Matthew Stockman/GettyImages

Earlier this season, the state of the quarterback position for the Cleveland Browns was an absolute mess. The failures of Deshaun Watson were on display every week with no bright spots or redeemable qualities. It was clear that the Browns had a big problem at quarterback, and the outright refusal to make a change appeared it was going to cost multiple people their jobs.

Luckily for the front office and coaching staff, Jameis Winston has come in and provided the offense with a jolt of life, much like Joe Flacco did last season, and for that, he has earned the opportunity to be Cleveland’s starter next season.

There is still a lot to sort out with how they are going to handle Watson and the worst NFL contract of all time, but turning to Winston to be his replacement could be a way for this organization to navigate these murky waters successfully.

Winston has been able to commandeer Cleveland’s offense in a way that Watson has not been capable of, and that is before acknowledging that his NFL career might even be over when considering his NFL playing days might be coming to an end relatively soon. If this only happened once, it might be an anomaly, but happening two years in a row shows that he alone is the problem.

The main argument against Winston is that he is not a perfect quarterback and is prone to making mistakes. While this is a valid critique of Winston’s abilities, it misses the point entirely when it comes to the financial nightmare the Browns have gotten themselves into.

Sacrifices need to be made when it comes to the quality of players at certain positions with a roster that is this expensive, and unfortunately for Cleveland, quarterback is one of them with their current roster construction.

Whether people want to admit it or not, there is one quarterback in Cleveland that gives them the best chance to win, and contrary to the aligned statements of the front office and coaching staff, that quarterback is Winston.

At this point in time, Winston is capable of providing the level of quarterback play necessary to win games consistently, and that is what matters. It may not always be pretty and may even be ugly at times, but Winston is the quarterback they should look to start at least through next season.

Of course, Winston is not a long-term solution, but it gives the Browns a chance to compete while allowing them to draft someone, either this year or the next (preferably the next), and reset their quarterback timeline.

If the goal is to completely avoid blowing up the entire roster and potentially capitalize on what was once an open contention window that is not completely closed just yet, having Winston be the starter in 2025 is their only option.